Mark Hunter MP

Local MP Tours Stockport Hospital

February 2, 2011 4:46 PM

Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle, made a special visit to BMI The Alexandra Hospital last week to speak with the hospital's Executive Director Kimberley Davies and find out about the launch of BMI Healthcare's 'Inspect Your Health' campaign, which the hospital will be rolling out to the local community over the next couple of months. Mr Hunter also visited the hospital's departments and met with staff members to discuss the role the hospital plays in the local community.

As part of his visit Mr Hunter received a blood pressure check, blood glucose and cholesterol test and his Body Mass Index (BMI) was measured, and he discovered that, as part of the hospitals' 'Inspect Your Health' campaign, teams of nurses would be going out into the local community to offer these checks for free.

High blood pressure is the biggest risk factor for stroke and around 40 per cent of all strokes could be prevented if people with undiagnosed high blood pressure were identified and treated. Stroke is the third biggest cause of death in Britain and in Greater Manchester someone suffers from a stroke every ninety minutes, with up to 6,000 people per year affected in the region. One in four of these people will die within a month and 50 per cent of sufferers are dead or disabled within 30 days.i High blood pressure is also a 'risk factor' for developing other cardiovascular diseases such as a heart attack and kidney damage.

Diabetes is also a growing health concern for the nation with more than 2.5 million people in the UK currently diagnosed with diabetes and an estimated one million who are undiagnosed. Statistics also show that more than 100,000 people in Greater Manchester have diabetes which is higher than the national average.ii

High blood pressure and type 2 diabetes can be treated, or even prevented, if people make positive changes to their lifestyle. This can include exercising more regularly, eating a healthier diet and cutting back on the consumption of alcohol. The 'Inspect your Health' campaign will help raise awareness around these types of issues and give people the information they need to lead a healthier, longer life.

Mark Hunter MP commented, "I was very pleased to hear about the hospital's plans to provide free mini health checks to the local community. Improving our health is crucial and events like these, with nurses and clinical staff coming out into the community, will be a great way to get the healthy living message across."

After the visit, Kimberley Davies commented, "It was a great honour to welcome Mark Hunter to our hospital and give him a tour of the departments and facilities where he met with our dedicated team of staff and consultants. We are extremely proud that he was impressed by the level of care and treatment and the range of surgery that we have been offering to our patients and Greater Manchester community over the past 30 years. We hope that his visit will help encourage members of the local community to do more to find out about their health and hopefully visit one of our Inspect Your Health events in the coming months."

BMI hospitals will begin holding 'Inspect Your Health' screening and health promotion events at businesses and shopping centres from November 2010 through to October 2011. For more information on dates and locations, please visit www.bmihealthcare.co.uk. If you would like BMI to hold an Inspect Your Health event for your company or at your local shopping centre, please email inspectyourhealth@bmihealthcare.co.uk.